Abstract
Abstract
Background:
Gastrointestinal (GI) reactions to chemotherapy affect quality of life (QoL) of patients who have tumors seriously, and commonly used antiemetic drugs cause many adverse side-effects.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to assess the preventive effects of wrist–ankle acupuncture (WAA) plus ginger (Zingiber spp.) moxibustion (GM) on GI reactions to chemotherapy.
Materials and Methods:
Design: Sixty patients with gynecologic tumors were recruited and treated with chemotherapy and randomly divided into treatment and control groups. Intervention:Patients in the treatment group were given WAA plus GM during 3 days of chemotherapy and 2 days after chemotherapy. Patients in the control group were given tropisetron hydrochloride and dexamethasone intravenously, on a daily basis, ∼30 minutes before chemotherapy. Main Outcome Measures: The GI reactions of the two groups were evaluated and compared during 3 days of chemotherapy and 2 days after chemotherapy. Reduction of GI reactions (nausea, vomiting, and constipation) to chemotherapy were evaluated via a scoring system. The two groups were compared on the basis of treatment cost, drug safety, and QoL improvement.
Results:
The frequency of nausea was significantly lower in the treatment group than in the control group on days 2–5 of chemotherapy (P<0.01). The antiemetic effect in the treatment group was better than that in the control group on day 3 of therapy (P<0.05). Moreover, the incidence rate of constipation and the cost of antiemetic measures were significantly lower in the treatment group than in the control group (P<0.01).
Conclusions:
WAA plus GM prevented GI reactions to chemotherapy significantly. This treatment is more safe and economical than antiemetic drugs.
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